TEACHER NOTES:

Use this link from amaraleebrenner.com

Make sure students have a copy.

Students will be writing the words given in this slideshow on the spectrum to determine their meanings.

Start on Slide #2

Shades of Meaning

• Good writers use words very precisely. Good writers do not say “He felt sad.”
• Instead, good writers say, “He felt downhearted.”
• Great writers say, “Sadness enveloped his entire day.”
• Professional writers say, “The empty days piled up until it his heart was completely empty.”
• Today, we are going to think of precise words to use in our writing later.

• Put your name on the top right hand corner.
• Today, we are going to write some crushing words.
• The words are valued as either good or bad.
• An extremely bad value goes at the tip of the arrow.
• An extremely good value goes at the opposite tip.
• We are learning shades of meaning.

Shades of Meaning

Put these words on the arrow

garble

clarify

suppress

compact

Put these words on the arrow

cramp

reduce

simplify

contract

minimize

Put these words on the arrow

squeeze

shorten

reduce

dilute

abridge

deform

Put these words on the arrow

ruin

summarize

skimp

slice

butcher

shrink

What do all the words have in common?

What is one synonyms that fits them all?

Shades of Meaning